Ways to Reduce the Load on Your A/C

Ways to Reduce the Load on Your A/C

Summer means hotter times for the greater Los Angeles area, but, as we all turn up our air conditioners, it is important to use them as efficiently as possible. In particular, making the job of cooling your home easier will help your cooling system to work more effectively. The two main ways to reduce your air conditioner’s work load are to improve your home itself and to reduce the actual reduce the load on your A/C.

Seal the Envelope

Your home’s thermal envelope is the barrier between the indoors and the outside world, including the foundation, floors, roof, walls, windows, and otherwise. Although improvements may require substantial investment in your home, a tightly sealed envelope will help your HVAC system optimize energy and overall system efficiency for years to come. At the same time, your home will not be subject to regular swings in temperature. Here are some important tips for optimizing efficiency and home comfort:

• Increase insulation levels and shade windows to keep the indoors cool and reduce the work load.
• Limit air leakage to prevent the cooled air from escaping your home and increasing the work to be done.
• When installing new windows or a new roof, use high-efficiency products to improve the thermal envelope.

Lighten the Load

Your air conditioner starts from the basic, internally-generated energy loads of your home, so another key way to reduce the load on your A/C is to cut back those basic loads. This should include the following:

• Turn off electrical appliances and equipment that are unneeded or not in use.
• Use appliances like washers and dryers during cooler times of the day.
• Reduce heat and humidity with exhaust fans, especially in kitchens and bathrooms.
• Invest in Energy Star or other high efficiency appliances to cut overall energy loads.

Contact Air-Tro, Inc. today for more expert advice on how to cool your Los Angeles area home. As a full-service, all-in-one HVAC contractor, we look forward to bringing more than four decades of experience to serving your home comfort needs.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the greater Monrovia, California area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).

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